Blue-and-White “Floral Scroll and Bamboo-and-Birds” Moon Flask with Kui-Dragon Handles

Chinese painters call it "kaiguang," opening a window. In the middle of this flask, a round frame opens onto a quiet garden: slender bamboo bending in the wind, small birds among the leaves, flowers growing at the foot of a rock.

All around the window, the porcelain is crowded with scrolling peonies in deep cobalt, so the garden scene feels like a view glimpsed from inside a richly decorated room. Look at the shoulder for a round shou (longevity) medallion, at the neck for a band of key-fret, and at the sides for two curling chilong dragons forming the handles.

Bamboo bends but never breaks, which is why scholars took it as the emblem of a person of integrity. Paired with birds, it also carries the wish "zhu bao ping an": may bamboo bring news of peace.

The entire vessel is richly decorated in underglaze blue. The neck features bats and scrolling foliage, symbolizing enduring good fortune, while the shoulder is encircled by scrolling peonies and a central medallion enclosing the character “Shou” (寿), conveying wishes for wealth and longevity. The two sides of the body are adorned with circular medallions depicting bamboo, rocks, flowers, and birds, combining dynamic and static elements in a harmonious composition. The medallions are framed by dense floral scrolls, while the blue tones vary in intensity, creating depth and vibrancy. Key borders of key-fret and lotus petals at the rim, neck, and foot complete the carefully structured decorative scheme.

The bamboo stalks sweep diagonally across the composition, with leaves arranged in varied densities, while flowering peonies intertwine naturally among them. Two sparrows are rendered with lively expressions, appearing to call and respond to one another. Their eyes, beaks, and claws are finely detailed, while layered washes of underglaze blue create a soft, feathery texture in the plumage. The rocks are depicted with traditional Chinese ink-painting texturing techniques, balancing solid and void to create a subtle dialogue between movement and stillness. This scene echoes the paired birds on the opposite side, creating a visual and symbolic correspondence between reunion and harmonious exchange.

The paired sparrows symbolize joyful news, harmony, and marital accord, while bamboo and peonies convey rising prosperity, wealth, and abundance. Together, the two medallions—one depicting two sparrows in reunion and the other two sparrows calling to each other—express wishes for family reunion, shared happiness, harmony, and enduring prosperity.

The rim is encircled by a band of underglaze-blue upright lotus and ruyi-head motifs, with full, well-defined contours, a characteristic border design of Qing imperial wares. The neck is decorated with winged bats suspending baoxiang flowers, symbolizing the arrival of good fortune, while scrolling foliage and stylized floral motifs provide a graceful transition below. A continuous key-fret border at the base of the neck creates a precise division between the neck and shoulder.

The handles take the form of a pair of three-dimensional openwork kui dragons, their heads turned outward and bodies coiling dynamically. The finely rendered eyes, horns, scales, and claws, together with the openwork construction, demonstrate the exceptional sculptural craftsmanship and technical difficulty of the piece.

The shoulder is encircled by luxuriant scrolling peonies, centred by a circular medallion enclosing the character “Shou” (寿) and surrounded by floral scrolls. The auspicious combination of bats and Shou signifies blessings and longevity, while peonies represent wealth and prosperity, together conveying the auspicious wish for “blessings, longevity, wealth, and honour.”

The base bears the six-character seal-script mark “Da Qing Qianlong Nian Zhi” (大清乾隆年制) in underglaze blue, arranged in three vertical rows within a square frame, a classic mark format of Qianlong-period imperial kilns. Executed in yuzhu (jade chopstick) seal script, the characters feature even strokes, balanced spacing, and neatly coiled, angular lines that fill the square frame. The underglaze-blue mark is vivid yet subtly recessed beneath the glaze. The base is covered in a clean white glaze, with faint yellowish-brown firing traces along the inner edge of the foot.